Crazy to think this recording is from 56 years ago. The sound is fabulous and lots of Pig

These performances are simply amazing. The sound quality is excellent, aside from a few technical glitches in the 1/28/1966 version of Viola Lee Blues (track 16).

Though taken from different shows, these tracks showcase the energy of the early Grateful Dead at their best. Whoever ordered these live snippets certainly knew what they were doing. The 7/31/1966 tracks (1 through 3) are an excellent example of the early Dead, full of life, energy, and a few surprises here and there.

Good Morning Little Schoolgirl was a particular joy to listen to. I couldn't detect any cuts in the recording, though I don't have the same experience and ears that others might.

The blues jam from 4/22/1966 (track 14) sounds more like a studio recording than a live recording. I'm not sure if Michael Sheflin might possibly have any additional thoughts on its possible origins.

Aside from the surprising recording quality and refreshing clarity, the other thing that stands out is just how small the audience sounds. I'm flabbergasted that so few people showed up to hear music of this caliber being played live.

There are a few tunes (New Orleans, Twist and Shout) with Pigpen on vocals and someone else blowing harp, not very well, but could've been the 'cid. Babbs perhaps?

Just incredible. This was before Jerry had Facial Hair. The I Know You Rider just made me laugh. So fast-paced. Great show

3 5/5

A good education on how the band and the Test sounded and played. The track titles are misleading at first glance though. The track labeled "New Orleans" has the same beat but is really an off the cuff rave-up by the band at the Watts Acid Test apparently in reaction to the"Who Cares?” episode..."Ron" directing the vibe after trying to calm things a little. The Twist and Shout rave is hot and ends when apparently Billy either faints or just stops playing in an acid daze. "Our drummer just flashed.."
By all accounts the acid dosage that night was way to high.

Ok... for tracks 15-18: The reference to LA is to an unknown concert the night before the Northridge Unitarian Church gig. I have no idea what it was supposed to be, but it apparently did not go down. Or maybe they were confused about the church gig, which was sort of technically the first LA acid test. Though there is dispute over whether the concerts occurred, there is some indication that the Loading Zone was billed with them on January 28th.

Stylistic et al concerns led me to think tracks 1-3 were from around June. However, something Jerry says (at the end of Viola) - that "the jug band already did Stealin'" is likely a reference to the pH Factor jug band that played the Vancouver run from July 29-31. We have the complete (more or less) 29th and 30th (IMO Standing- and Dancin'- respectively (1 and 2 sets respectively)). These three tracks are July 31st.

The opening of the BIODTL on Longshoreman's #3 is 'older' than the one labeled Longshoreman's #1. Still, it's hard to place either except that the solos of BIODTL probably put these gigs together.

In total:

1-3: 7/31/66 - PNE Garden Auditorium (2/12 / No Lbl)
4-5: 4/24/66 - Longshoreman's Hall (LSM #1)
6-9: 2/12/66 - Youth Opportunities Center (unlabeled)
10-14: 4/22/66 - Longshoreman's Hall (LSM #3)
15-18: 1/28/66 - The Matrix (Pauley #2)

An ongoing discussion in order to shed light on what's going on with these mystery reels from '66: http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2010/01/deads-1966-songs.html - that "who cares" rap from the Compton set is the biznizz - dig Bobby's final line before the track ends. The rest of those 2/12 tracks, however, are pretty hopeless - really for competists only.

Since there is talk that the 2/25/ Ivar show is actually 3/12, could those "possibly 2/12" tracks be the *real* Ivar show? It would follow that Viola Lee climax logic to a point...

The Pauley Ballroom tracks (15-18) - according to setlists.com they played the Pauley on 6/1 and on 12/2. So take your pick, *if* those stats are accurate (sources would be nice on some of that dating, setlists, esp. when the band is listed playing three separate venues on 6/1/66 - possible, but....) Anyways - midnight Hour has the plug pulled and Viola Lee's left-channel drop and static is really harsh, so if you want to do yourself a favor, just listen to that beautifully bright and innocent IKYR and, especially, You Don't Have to Ask - maybe two minutes of the most smackdown-powerful Dead you'll hear! I mean, jiminy...

-

This is The Stuff. I can't believe I am hearing this for the first time today. It is incredible. The quality for the time period is just unreal. Talk about hearing these guys in the raw, primal form. This is it.

So for effect, I looked up Pauley Ballroom and Longshoremans Hall and as I admired the old interior photo shots that are available to look at, I imagine I was there hearing this all for the first time....and smiling ear to ear. No question - 5 stars.



~ Let the good times roll

=)

.

Thanks for that info go figure. Very interesting. That woman screaming in the background is so disturbing! I played this on my really good laptop speakers and you can clearly hear that poor woman in the background just having a horrible freakout. (Bob just laughs here and there and makes comments).
The fidelity is so good on this you can really picture all these young totally tripped out people together. Very cool stuff. I am a new Deadhead learning about the history of the band and being able to actually listen to the boys at the same period as I am reading about them is amazing.

Not every one passed the acid test.

God I love The Pig.

The acid test for this segment was the Watts Acid Test at the Youth Opportunities Center--also know as the notorious Who Cares Acid Test discussed in Tom Wolfe's Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Seems that a woman completly freaked out and started repeating "who cares." Prankster #2, Ken Babbs, got the idea to put a mic to her and blast her bad trip over the hall's PA. Prankster #1 (Ken Kesey) was not present. Alot of people in the Prankster camp thought it pretty callous, but I refer you to Wolfe's book for a more detailed discussion. If you scroll up a little further on this page, you have a Who Care's segment that has about 30 seconds more at the beginning, but doesn't go into Pig singing. His rap, and his choice of songs seem rather compassionate--he was probably the only one not tripping. You can hear the woman, if you listen closely, in the background. Teenage Bobby doesn't seem to care, and Billy really goes off on an ecstatic drum trip that actually complements Pig--until Phil says "our drummer just flashed" and all stops.
Well, I just wanted to clarify what that reel is. What anyone thinks about it is up to them. I once winessed a full-bore acid freak-out, and to say it was an unpleasant sight would be an understatement. What Ken Babbs did is one's own opinion, and as the expression goes, just like a**holes, we all have opinions. However, according to Wolfe, the concensus was that it was a bummer Acid Test. I'm old enough that I could have been there, but I wasn't. I'll leave it at that, except to say that I think it is of more historical interest for those interested in that, than for those interested in finding hot shows.

This is a sampling of 1966 Dead, much of it available here at Archive.org, with the dates and venues. (I've listened to all the 1966 material, and highly recommmend it!) I don't remember Twist and Shout anywhere else, though.

The Pigpen raps, solo without music, are during an "acid test" event. Everyone is tripping except Pigpen who never touched the stuff (alcohol was his drug of choice). At the end of the first Bob says "someday Ron will take acid." These two cuts, especially the second, really showcase Pigpen's talent.

Some tasty cuts here, like the first three. The Schoolgirl>You don't love me>School cut is the earliest known Dead "sandwich." The multiple Viola Lee Blues are Jerry showcases. The blues jam with Jorma and Jack (Airplane/Hot Tuna) is an interesting rarity.

This sampling is not a "best of" collection, though. It's missing some key '66 songs, such as Dancing in the Streets, Creampuff War and others, and some of the cuts here are fragments. There are also better renditions of Beat It on Down the Line then the two here. A best-of-66 would definately include cuts from 11-19-66: http://www.archive.org/details/gd1966-11-19.fm.9730.shnf

The easiest way to get to all of the 1966 Dead is to use this:
http://www.archive.org/browse.php?collection=GratefulDead&field=%2Fmetadata%2Fyear

I can't shed light on any specific dates/locations, however i CAN say that this is some epic material... for 1966ish the quality is superb and the boys really throw down on the various segments... thanks so much for getting this up on archives, ur the best!